GARBO SRL

Their core work

GARBO SRL is an Italian SME specializing in chemical recycling of PET plastic through an innovative glycolysis process. They develop industrial-scale technology to break down PET waste — from packaging, bottles, and other sources — back into raw chemical building blocks that can be reused to produce virgin-quality PET (crPET). Their core business sits at the intersection of industrial chemistry and circular economy, turning plastic waste streams into valuable feedstock. They progressed from feasibility study to full-scale industrial plant development through the EU SME Instrument pathway.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

GARBO's H2020 journey shows a clear sharpening of focus. Their earliest involvement (2015) was as a participant in photovoltaic manufacturing efficiency (Eco-Solar), likely contributing materials or recycling expertise to the solar panel value chain. From 2017 onward, they pivoted entirely to their core strength — PET chemical recycling — taking the coordinator role and advancing through the SME Instrument pipeline from feasibility (Phase 1) to full-scale development (Phase 2). The keyword data confirms this consolidation: all specific technical keywords (depolymerisation, crPET, glycolysis) appear only in the recent period.

GARBO is moving toward industrial-scale deployment of their PET glycolysis technology, positioning them as a potential technology provider for companies needing circular plastics solutions.

How they like to work

GARBO operates primarily as a project leader — they coordinated 2 of their 3 H2020 projects, both in their core PET recycling domain. Their single participation as a partner (Eco-Solar) was in a related manufacturing context, suggesting they join consortia only when their materials expertise adds direct value. With 12 partners across 7 countries from just 3 projects, they build moderately sized European consortia rather than working in isolation.

GARBO has built a network of 12 unique partners across 7 European countries through 3 projects. For an SME of their size, this indicates solid European connectivity, likely spanning the plastics value chain from waste collection to polymer reuse.

What sets them apart

GARBO occupies a specific niche: industrial-scale chemical recycling of PET via glycolysis, producing chemically recycled PET (crPET) suitable for food-grade packaging. This differentiates them from mechanical recyclers (who degrade PET quality with each cycle) and from larger chemical companies that treat recycling as a side activity. Their progression through both phases of the SME Instrument demonstrates that EU evaluators validated their technology's commercial potential at each gate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ChemPET
  Received EUR 1.79M in SME Instrument Phase 2 funding — one of the larger SME-2 grants — to build an industrial-scale PET chemical recycling plant, validating strong commercial potential.
• Eco-Solar
  Their earliest H2020 involvement as a partner in photovoltaic eco-efficiency, revealing GARBO's broader materials and recycling expertise beyond PET plastics.